Reverse.

Chapter 75: Speaking with Football

When Cai Bokang came to see Wang Lie, he did not say why he was looking for him, nor did he say who was looking for him.

Wang Lie didn't ask either.

Because Wang Lie knew very well that it was most likely the national team head coach He Zhenyong who was looking for him.

But Wang Lie didn't guess what they were looking for him for.

We'll know soon enough anyway.

Sure enough, after meeting, the two men simply shook hands and exchanged pleasantries, and then He Zhenyong went straight to the point.

"I think it's better for me, as the head coach, to tell you in person. It's not good to let others pass on the message... Considering your age and the long journey, we have decided not to let you start in the first game against Qatar for the time being."

To be honest, Wang Lie was not surprised by this result. After all, he had not been a starter in the national team for some time.

The last time he started was in the away game against Iran. Because he had not started before and was always on the bench, domestic public opinion became agitated and coach He was forced to start under pressure from public opinion.

But to be honest, my condition in that game was actually very bad. After all, I had never played a serious game in Sofia United. After I came on the court, I couldn't find the rhythm of the game at all and played terribly.

I can't sprint fast enough, I can't fight well enough, I make a lot of mistakes when handling the ball, I have no feeling for shooting, I still have problems with my physical strength, and I can't run or fight actively.

How to play this?
So after playing for seventy minutes, he was substituted - in fact, being substituted after seventy minutes was already a face given to him by Coach He.

Wang Lie knew about his poor condition before the game.

But if the head coach arranged for him to start, could he say that he refused because he was not in good shape?

Wang Lie is not the kind of person who can do such a thing.

On the other hand, he was still a little arrogant at the time, thinking that no matter how he performed in the club, he was still capable in the national team and would not perform too badly against Asian teams.

As a result, the cruel reality gave him a hard slap in the face.

Since that game, he has never been called up to the national team again.

Coach He also seemed to have a legitimate reason.

Even though it is just one game today, it was more than five months apart, almost half a year.

During these six months, Wang Lie was away from the core of Chinese football.

If he hadn't suddenly got the cheat again, the 2:3 defeat to Iran would have been his last official game for the national team.

When he finally lets it go and announces his retirement from the national team, he can wear the national team's jersey again—of course, at the farewell match held by the national team for him...

But Wang Lie himself would not let go of this unless he retired, because only when he stopped playing football would he stop thinking about playing for the national team.

This is why many people in the national team think that Wang Lie is a trouble. He is too persistent... persistent to the point of paranoia, and the ability he demonstrated at the time did become a "burden" to the national team.

If it is an ordinary international player, then the head coach of the national team will not recruit him.

But Wang Lie is still a legend of this country's football and the greatest player in history.

This is very difficult...

So for some people, losing 2:3 to Iran was actually a good loss - at least it allowed Wang Lie to fade out of the national team in a natural way.

Later, some people even had conspiracy theories about why He Zhenyong suddenly decided to fully listen to public opinion before the game and let Wang Lie start. It was to create a step for everyone and to create a public opinion basis for him not to recruit Wang Lie next time. He even deliberately let the Chinese team lose to Iran...

This is of course a conspiracy theory, because judging from the actual course of the game, the Chinese team had no intention of deliberately losing the game, and Wang Lie's own performance was indeed not good.

It's your own fault, who can you blame?
But the Wang Lie now is completely different from the Wang Lie five months ago. It is no problem to describe him as having been reborn.

Nine goals and three assists in six games. Even if we ignore his 38-year-old age, that is the performance of a top superstar in the entire European football world.

So the Premier League's best coach in February went to Tyne's head coach McNeill, and the Premier League's best player in February was Tyne's Wang Lie.

With such performance, Wang Lie returned to the national team. The first thing he did when he came back was that the head coach told him that he would be a substitute in the next game.

If it were the old Wang Lie, he would have written "I'm very unhappy" on his face and would definitely have argued with the coach.

But the reality now is that after Wang Lie heard this decision, his reaction was not as intense as He Zhenyong and Cai Bokang thought.

He just frowned slightly and curled his lips.

His micro-expression showed that he disapproved of the arrangement, but he did not express his opposition directly.

Head coach He Zhenyong's reason was impeccable. Considering his "advanced age" of 38, he had always played the full 90 minutes in the club before, and he had to travel a lot this time. To be on the safe side, it seemed that there was nothing wrong in letting him play as a substitute in the first game.

Moreover, Coach He said that he would be a substitute in the first game, which means that he may still start in the second game against Thailand at home.

He also couldn't tell the two coaches that he was cheating. Although he was 38 years old, his physical functions were equivalent to those of a 35-year-old. Tyne was fighting on a single front and the schedule was not tight, so these few games were not a burden at all.

So for ordinary people who don't know he's using cheats, this arrangement is reasonable and logical. He has absolutely no reason to quarrel with the coach.

Wang Lie thought that his reaction was normal, but in the eyes of head coach He Zhenyong and Cai Bokang, especially in the eyes of Cai Bokang, Wang Lie's reaction was very abnormal.

He was worried that Wang Lie was holding back his emotions and waiting for a chance to explode, so he simply asked directly: "What do you think of the coaching staff's decision, Wang Lie?"

"To be honest, I don't agree. But the coaching staff has made a decision, so of course I will abide by the decision." Wang Lie answered very directly without hiding his thoughts.

As he said this, Cai Bokang stared at his face, as if trying to continue to see his true thoughts from his micro-expressions.

He didn't see anything.

Or he felt that Wang Lie was sincere when he said this.

He did not agree with the arrangement, but he did have to abide by it.

※※※

"See, I was right, wasn't I?"

After Wang Lie left, He Zhenyong extended his hand to Cai Bokang.

Cai Bokang slapped his palm and said, "Okay, I owe you a drink!"

He Zhenyong said with a smile: "I told you that Wang Lie is a little different now. I felt it clearly when I went to Taien last time. Now it just proves what I said."

"Why is this happening?" Cai Bokang asked.

Since Wang Lie had no objection, there was naturally no need to keep him around to chat.

After knowing that he would not start in the match against Qatar, Wang Lie left.

Cai Bokang originally wanted to see Wang Lie off, but was rejected by him. Considering that Wang Lie must still be unhappy, Cai Bokang did not insist and let him leave alone.

Before calling Wang Lie, He Zhenyong and Cai Bokang made a bet. He Zhenyong said that Wang Lie's reaction would not be too intense, but Cai Bokang thought that Wang Lie would accept the decision, but he would be very unhappy and would express his unhappiness directly and intensely. He was ready to appease Wang Lie's emotions.

Unexpectedly, Wang Lie behaved very calmly - at least compared to his previous performance, he was indeed very calm.

"I guess his experience at Sofia United in the first half of the season had some impact on him. In the past, he could act recklessly without caring about the people around him and only thought about winning. But after experiencing the ups and downs of life in the first half of the season, there should be a little more humanity in his 'champion heart'," said He Zhenyong.

“I don’t know whether this is a good thing or a bad thing. Although he makes people who come into contact with him feel comfortable, I don’t know if his competitive spirit will not be as strong because of this…” Cai Bokang murmured.

For a moment, he was not used to Wang Lie like this.

He Zhenyong shook his head: "He is still as competitive as before, don't worry about that. But he is indeed more mature than before, which I think is a good thing."

※※※

After leaving the head coach's room, Wang Lie walked towards his own room.

He had to go to the elevator and go down one floor before he could reach his and Zhuang Yunsheng's room.

Walking on the carpet, his feet made a rustling sound, and his hands hung naturally on both sides of his body, swinging back and forth with his steps.

Clench and unclench your fists, unclench and clench them again.

He still felt a little uncomfortable, but this discomfort could be effectively alleviated by clenching his fists repeatedly.

So does this mean that I am not obsessed enough with winning?

Does this mean I’m not as competitive as I thought I was?
No.

neither.

I just have more confidence in my future self.

Wang Lie said this to himself in his heart.

Whether it is Coach He or Director Cai, they don't know themselves well enough. Their performances in the past month or so are indeed amazing, but based on the results that can be analyzed by an ordinary person who doesn't know that he has a cheat, they must be worried that their amazing performance is just a flash in the pan, or even a "last gasp."

This time, Coach He recruited him back to the national team, but it was definitely not just because of his recent outstanding performance as he said, but he definitely also intended to recruit him to observe and understand him closely.

They also want to know how long their performance over the past month can last.
As long as I can still score goals, my physical functions will become younger and younger, and this kind of performance will naturally continue, and even be better than now.

It is because Wang Lie knows this that he is full of confidence in his future self, so his mentality is different from before.

Before, he could only watch his body function decline without being able to do anything, which was why he became furious when he was in trouble. He knew that time was advancing every second, and his energy was also being lost every second.

Of course he was anxious, sensitive, and angry at that time.

He held on to many things only because he knew he was destined to lose them.

But now it's different.

He knew he had a chance to start over, so he was not in a hurry.

Since you are no longer in a hurry, there is no need to be obsessed with temporary gains and losses.

There is still one year and three months until the World Cup. He has enough time to score goals, enough time to get younger, and enough time to take back what once belonged to him.

The elevator door dinged and opened.

Wang Lie saw the two people in the car, and they also saw him.

It was the team's vice-captain Chu Yu and main midfielder Fu Xiaofeng.

All three of them were stunned for a moment.

Then it was Wang Lie who greeted them first. He looked at the suitcases beside them and said, "Are you two living on this floor?"

"Yes." Chu Yu nodded. "You live on this floor too?"

"No, I live on the floor below you." Wang Lie pointed down.

"then you……"

"Coach He just came to see me."

As they were talking, Chu Yu and Fu Xiaofeng were walking out of the elevator car.

Hearing these words, the two of them looked at Wang Lie at the same time.

Wang Lie did not continue to explain, but smiled and nodded at them, then walked into the elevator car.

"I'm leaving first." Wang Lie took the initiative to say goodbye.

Chu Yu hesitated to speak, but in the end he said nothing and nodded, "Okay."

After watching the elevator door close and the arrow pointing downward, Chu Yu and Fu Xiaofeng looked at each other. The latter asked curiously, "What does Coach He want Wang Lie to do?"

Chu Yu guessed: "Maybe he knows what happened behind his performance in the past month or so..."

This was actually his doubt. He was hesitant to speak just now because he actually wanted to ask this.

But he realized that the elevator door was not the place to talk, so he didn't ask the doubts in his heart in the end.

Fu Xiaofeng rolled his eyes and suddenly laughed: "Do you think our brother Wang will take this opportunity to force Coach He to give up Chi Zhen's core position?"

Chu Yu said impartially: "Based on his recent performance, it is normal for him to be a core member."

"Chi Zhen's recent performance is also good~" Fu Xiaofeng said the word "oh" with a transposition.

Then he picked up his suitcase and walked towards the room, saying with an ambiguous smile: "The national team is going to be lively again!"

※※※

Qin An, the number one "Wang fan" in the Chinese national team, finally got to hug his idol as he wished.

It was before dinner, and he saw Wang Lie coming out with Zhuang Yunsheng in the corridor on the way to the elevator.

So he jumped up happily and said, "Brother Wang, long time no see!"

When Wang Lie hugged him, he said, "Don't act like we haven't seen each other for years. It's only been less than half a year."

Qin An said, "What do you mean by 'only half a year', Brother Wang? Haven't you heard of 'a man's absence for three days is like a long autumn'?"

Wang Lie frowned: "I've never heard of it. And I always feel like something is wrong..."

Lu Changqing, who was standing next to him, couldn't stand it any longer: "It's like 'a day without seeing you feels like three years', Qin An, you are illiterate!"

Qin An curled his lips: "Tsk, if you have the guts, don't use Baidu..."

"Who the hell is using Baidu?! We still need Baidu for this?" Lu Changqing complained harshly, "Damn it, I think we should suggest that Coach He bring in cultural teachers to teach the national team players how to read literacy!"

The two people are completely different from their previous images in front of the camera...

Zhuang Yunsheng next to him laughed loudly, then waved his hand: "Don't count me out, I'm not illiterate!"

A few people were chatting and laughing in the elevator room while waiting for the elevator.

Then with a ding, the elevator car door in front of them opened.

Chi Zhen, Su Ju and Yue Hang were revealed in the elevator.

The laughter disappeared abruptly.

Although the people inside and outside the elevator car still had smiles on their faces.

It was obvious that everyone was talking about happy topics before.

In fact, before coming to the country, Chi Zhen thought all the way about how he and Brother Wang should meet.

But he had never thought that they would meet in the elevator so unexpectedly.

In the suddenly awkward atmosphere, Wang Lie was the first to raise his hand and say hello: "Oh, what a coincidence, you guys are going downstairs to eat too?"

Chi Zhen quickly responded: "Ah, yes, yes, let's go eat. Brother Wang, are you guys too?"

"Yes." Wang Lie said as he took the lead and stepped into the elevator car.

The three people in the elevator shouted "Brother Wang" and stepped back to make room for him.

Others outside also squeezed in.

There were seven big men crammed into the elevator car at once, leaving basically no room for maneuver.

Then the elevator door slowly closed.

After Wang Lie greeted them, he stopped talking or making small talk. Instead, he stood in front of Chi Zhen and the others with his hands behind his back, raised his head slightly, and cast his gaze towards the display screen on the upper left side of the car.

The numbers above jump and change, showing the real-time floor.

They took the elevator on the 26th floor to have dinner at the restaurant on the third floor of the hotel.

Wang Lie remained silent throughout the whole process.

Wang Lie didn't say anything. Everyone else knew about the conflict between Wang Lie and Chi Zhen, so it was difficult to say anything.

The atmosphere in the elevator became increasingly awkward.

The car kept stopping in the middle. Some people tried to squeeze in, but when they saw the seven big men with serious expressions inside, they wisely gave up the idea.

This long twenty-three floors...

When they finally arrived at their destination, Wang Lie suddenly spoke again: "Xiao Chi, let's find some time to talk?"

"Ah?" Chi Zhen didn't react, and everyone else looked at Wang Lie in surprise.

Fortunately, Chi Zhen reacted quickly and said immediately, "Okay, I'm available anytime, depending on your schedule, Brother Wang."

Wang Lie nodded: "Then let's do it before dinner."

"Okay...ah?" Chi Zhen agreed immediately because he thought Wang Lie would say after dinner, but suddenly he realized that Brother Wang meant before dinner!

"Now?" He thought he had heard wrongly.

"Yes, right now. It's okay, it won't delay dinner." Wang Lie nodded.

"Okay, no problem for me." Chi Zhen also felt that it was a good idea to talk before dinner, because there was dinner waiting for them, so the two of them probably wouldn't talk for too long.

He didn't have to be embarrassed for too long...

To be honest, he was a little afraid when facing Brother Wang alone.

He didn't have this feeling at first, especially when he just joined the Chinese team. Every time he saw Brother Wang, he had a happy smile on his face. That was the joy of a fan meeting his idol.

But later, as he was promoted to a core position by head coach He, Wang Ge went from being his idol to being his direct competitor. When he saw Wang Ge again, he felt that it was neither right to smile nor not to smile...

It’s uncomfortable, so uncomfortable.

The group got off the elevator, and everyone else left tacitly to go to the restaurant. Wang Lie and Chi Zhen did not go to the restaurant, but turned and walked towards the garden terrace outside the third floor.

Of course, they didn't have the leisure time to enjoy the scenery; they just wanted to find a place where they wouldn't be disturbed for a while.

On the garden terrace, Wang Lie stopped and turned to look at Chi Zhen who had caught up with him: "I think it's better to be straightforward, so I'll just ask you out so we can talk directly. Putting aside other things, what do you think of me, Xiao Chi?"

"Me? Of course I respect you, Brother Wang..." Chi Zhen said somewhat unnaturally.

Wang Lie shook his head: "I've already said to put aside everything else. If you really respect me, then you can give me the core position."

“…” Chi Zhen was silent. He didn’t expect Brother Wang to be so “straightforward”. He didn’t know how to answer.

Seeing that he didn't say anything, Wang Lie continued, "So you see, if I ask you to give in, you definitely won't be willing to do so. Do you want to lead this national team?"

This time Chi Zhen hesitated, then nodded: "Yes, Brother Wang. I want to lead this team to win like you did."

Wang Lie nodded: "Very good. Then you are also clear about my attitude, right?"

Chi Zhen didn't say anything, but nodded lightly.

Of course he knew, otherwise why were there so many rumors about the national team over the past year?
Brother Wang has never concealed his thoughts - he does not want to give up power, he thinks he is the best person to lead the national team to win.

Seeing Chi Zhen nod, Wang Lie said, "I still have the same attitude - I will try my best to get it back from you. I have seen your recent performance, it is very good. But I will perform better than you. If you don't want to be caught up by me, then you have to work harder and don't relax...between us, let football do the talking."

After saying that, he raised his hand and gently patted Chi Zhen's shoulder, then walked back into the hotel.

Chi Zhen turned around and looked at his back, but did not chase after him.

He didn't expect that Brother Wang would call him out specifically and finish the story so simply.

He originally thought that Brother Wang called him out for a private talk in order to ease the relationship between the two of them and prevent others from thinking that he, the captain of the national team, was targeting him, which would create a chaotic atmosphere within the national team and cause a bad impact.

There is inevitably a lot of "dad-like" preaching, such as "team first", "unity instead of confrontation", "seek common ground while reserving differences", "the war is imminent, don't let others laugh at us", "the name on the chest is more important than the name on the back", "be worthy of the national team jersey on your body..." and so on.

As a result... Brother Wang issued him a declaration of war!

(End of this chapter)